the backstory

“Romance Tropical” (1934) was the first film with sound made in Puerto Rico and the second Spanish-language original feature film in the world. With production quality standards equivalent to Hollywood films of that time, its impact was such that it was never forgotten and was always considered a cinematographic jewel that set precedents in Spanish-speaking cinema.  

Distributed in theaters throughout Puerto Rico and New York by MGM, the film was an astounding success; yet, shortly after its blockbuster premieres, the film suddenly disappeared. 

It was the Opera Prima of the Puerto Rican filmmaking pioneer Juan E. Viguié Sr. (1891-1966), the first generation of the Viguié legacy. 

In 2017, eighty years after its mysterious disappearance, the legendary “lost” film unexpectedly resurfaced at the UCLA Film & Television Archive. To their great amazement, the Viguié's were able to confirm it was in fact their once thought as "forever lost" family heirloom.

The compelling story behind the production of this historic cinematic gem motivated the extant generations of the Viguié family to research and investigate the intriguing events that led to its mysterious vanishing and miraculous reappearance eight decades later, and in the journey, it became the source of inspiration that gave rise to TheRaccoonteurs.com.